Common Propaganda Devices1. Name Calling: Bad names used to make you hate certain individuals, groups, ideas, etc. Example: "Don't join that Taekwondo class, the master is ." Example: "Mr. L. does not deserve the black belt. He is a " 2. Glittering Generalities: Abstracts (freedom, justice, truth, peace, evolution, epitome, etc.) used to make you love certain individuals, groups, ideas, etc. Example: "You must join Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. It is the " In most cases, name calling and glittering generalities come together: Example: "You must not join Taekwondo because it's a kiddy sport. Enroll in Jiu-jitsu because it's the evolution of fighting art." 3. Bandwagon: A statement that makes you want to join the crowd. The propagandist reasons to you: "Everybody is doing it so why can't you?" TV Commercials often use this device. Example: "You must enroll in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu! It's the " 4. Testimonials: A statement of one person's experience in order to persuade you to do something. This is another device TV commercials use. Example: "You must wear 'Brand V' apparel. It is always worn by " DOES THAT MEAN ALL PROPAGANDA IS BAD? No! But good propaganda should prove to have socially desirable ends when the evidence are closely examined. There is no harm in joining the Jiu-jitsu or kung-fu bandwagon, as long as you clearly understood how it fulfills your needs in learning martial arts. Nevertheless, most propaganda avoid scrutiny, and instead use hate or fear (elicited in name calling), false hope (elicited in glittering generalities), and other supercharged emotions for people to follow (or oppose) an action as dictated by the propagandist.
--to read more on Propaganda, read Clyde R. Miller's "Propaganda Analysis"
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